Citation

Collet C, Averty P, Dittmar A. Appl. Ergon. 2009; 40(1): 23-32.

Affiliation

Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CRIS EA 647-Mental Processes and Performance, Villeurbanne Cedex, France. christian.collet@univ-lyon1.fr

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.apergo.2008.01.019

PMID

18353277

Abstract

The paper is aimed at studying the perceived strain in professional air-traffic controllers both through self-evaluation and physiological indicators from the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The number of aircraft to be monitored was the main independent variable and could evolve at random within 1 and 10. Five ANS variables were recorded continuously in 25 participants while they handled real traffic: skin potential, skin conductance, skin blood flow, skin temperature and instantaneous heart rate. The tonic level of each physiological variable was averaged to match the times spent monitoring a constant number of aircraft. After the session, participants reacted in compliance with the NASA-TLX rating scale. Subjective ratings and physiological values were closely correlated to the number of aircraft, especially when data were standardized thus reducing inter-subjects differences in baseline levels. Results provide objective information to prevent air-traffic controllers from overloaded situations as well as to improve passengers' safety.

Language: en